It's 1954, and a rabble-rousing social critic has declared war on comic books—especially the scary, gory, bloody sort published by the bad boys of the industry, EF Comics. But on the way to a Senate hearing on whether these depraved publications should be banned, the would-be censor meets a violent end of his own—leaving his opponents in hot water.
Can Jack Starr, private eye to the funny-book industry, and his beautiful boss Maggie unravel the secret of Dr. Frederick's gruesome demise? Or will the crackdown come, falling like an executioner's axe.…?
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"This was a cool hard-boiled pulpy mystery based on the real life attempt at suppressing comics books in the early 1950s. It was a quick and sort of trashy read, but very enjoyable."
— Milo (4 out of 5 stars)
“Collins masterfully blends fact and fiction…Transcends the historical thriller.”
— Jeffery Deaver“Violent and volatile and packed with sexuality…Classic pulp fiction.”
— USA Today“Collins’ witty, hard-boiled prose would make Raymond Chandler proud.”
— Entertainment Weekly“Collins makes it sound as though it really happened.”
— New York Daily News" Max Allan Collins is always a pleasure. "
— Bill, 11/16/2013" A great read, especially if you are familiar with the subject that the fictionial book is based on. "
— Ralph, 8/9/2013Max Allan Collins is the author of Road to Perdition, the acclaimed graphic novel that inspired the movie, and of the multiple-award-winning Nathan Heller series of historical hardboiled mysteries. One of most prolific and popular authors working in the field today, he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2017. He is also the literary executor of Mickey Spillane.
Dan John Miller is an American actor and musician. In the Oscar-winning Walk the Line, he starred as Johnny Cash’s guitarist and best friend, Luther Perkins, and has also appeared in George Clooney’s Leatherheads and My One and Only, with Renée Zellweger. An award-winning audiobook narrator, he has garnered multiple Audie Award nominations, has twice been named a Best Voice by AudioFile magazine, and has received several AudioFile Earphones Awards and a Listen-Up Award from Publishers Weekly.